Invisible Chains
by Adrian Winter
Summary: Sora and Roxas are twins, and lead a pleasant, normal life together that sometimes doesn't feel quite right. A violent storm passes through one day, bringing unexpected changes. Can they break through the chains they can't see? Slash AxelSora
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yes... another story. Bad me. Anyway... this is slash, so if you don't like it, go away, etc.

This is AkuSora, an interesting pairing if I do say so myself. Just thought I'd try something different.

Enjoy!

**Edit April 20, 2007:** Went through and fixed some grammar and spelling errors, plus spiffed it up a bit.

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**Invisible Chains**

CHAPTER 1

"You know, I think the house might just blow down," Sora said thoughtfully as he peered out the window.

Roxas looked up from his book at his twin brother's proclamation, thinking that it might not be that far off. The windows of their apartment rattled noisily as the rain pounded mercilessly against the panes and roof, and the wind made the whole house creak, giving the idea that it was having a hard time staying a solid building. It was about 9 in the morning, but it was dark and dreary, heavy steel clouds billowing in the normally clear sky.

"Yeah, haven't had a storm this bad in a while." Roxas replied before returning to his book. His back was up against the arm of the couch, and his knees were drawn up, giving him something to lay his book on.

Sora turned from his post at the window and flopped down next to Roxas on the couch, putting his hands behind his head in a reclining position. "Hope mom's okay," He said with a hint of worry. It wasn't so much that there was a storm– just that it was so unexpected. The middle of July was usually sunny and bright for the nondescript town that they lived in with their mother.

"I'm sure she's fine," Roxas mumbled absently, curling his legs closer to himself and continuing to submerse himself in his book.

Sora just shook his head and smiled slightly. They may have looked a lot alike, but that was about where their similarities ended. Sora was a naturally cheery and open person, while Roxas tended to be quiet and blank, preferring to hide in his books rather than interact with people. This resulted in Roxas being rather sharp, and Sora sometimes being... _not_ so sharp. They sort of balanced each other out in a way– if Sora got too hyper, Roxas was able to reason with him and calm him down, and from time to time Sora could pull Roxas out of his shell to interact and just have fun. They had a fairly loving sibling relationship, and along with their caring mother, their small family suited them just fine.

Sora sighed a bit, not being able to keep the feeling of boredom from creeping into his limbs. It was the middle of summer! Sora hadn't survived his second year in highschool for nothing. He should be out doing something– swimming in the ocean with his friends, having bonfires, enjoying the warm weather and freedom from stuffy classrooms and schoolwork. But the storm had quickly squashed any of those possibilities.

The brunette sighed again, this time with purposeful obnoxious-ness, earning him a playful kick from Roxas.

"What was that for?" Sora asked with a mock hurt expression.

Roxas just rolled his eyes. "Be creative. I'm sure you could come up with a long list." He added another kick for emphasis.

"Hey!" Sora laughed at the insult. "I can't help it if the day isn't even half over and I'm bored already."

"You could always read a book," Roxas said with a completely straight face, but then sniggered at the incredulous look Sora shot back at him.

The rain continued to beat against the house, drowning out most other noises other than the wind. As Sora turned away from Roxas to stare at the ceiling, he sighed softly again, closing his eyes and just listening for a while to the rain and the rustling of pages in Roxas' book. The rain wasn't really all that bad, he thought. It was just that most people didn't like to go out and do stuff in it, and Sora liked to be around his friends as often as possible.

Finally, deciding he'd had enough lying-on-the-couch-listening-to-the-rain time to last him the rest of the summer, Sora suddenly launched himself off the couch and proclaimed, "I'm going for a walk!"

Roxas, who had been only slightly startled by Sora's sudden disruptive departure from the couch, now looked up with a slightly disbelieving look and said, "Sora, please, you just got done saying that the _house_ wouldn't be able to withstand this storm. It'd carry a wisp like you out to sea."

"Oh, a little rain never hurt anybody." Sora had a smile in his voice as he laced up his overly large shoes and grabbed a coat from the closet. It would be nice to get out of the house, even in weather like this.

Turning back to his book once again, Roxas just shook his head and said, "Fine, but don't expect me to say anything nice at your funeral when you die from pneumonia."

Sora crept up behind Roxas on the couch, who was still engrossed in his book, and quickly snatched said book out of his hands.

"You could always come with me," Sora grinned cheekily.

Roxas made a sound of annoyance and grabbed his book back just as quickly, saying as he found his place again, "Sora, just because I was born at the same time as you doesn't mean I want to die with you."

Sora just laughed as he left, calling happily back over his shoulder, "I'll be back later!" before shutting the front door again.

Roxas watched the closed door for a few minutes before frowning slightly.

He liked his life here with Sora. They both had plenty of friends, and more often than not the whole group of them would hang out together, like one great big family.

But sometimes... things didn't feel right. Sometimes he realized just how perfect his life was– too perfect. And he'd suddenly get a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him that he was forgetting something, something important, and that some how it was all wrong...

But then, just as quickly as the feeling came, it would disappear, and Roxas would be left feeling confused, like something forgotten that you _know_ that you know but you can't remember.

Today was one of those times. Except this time the feeling stayed with him, and only grew worse as the storm raged outside.

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Sora grimaced slightly as he waded through puddles and leaned against the wind, trying to stay upright. The novelty and refreshing feeling of being out in the rain had worn off a while ago, and now he was soaking wet, freezing cold, and, though he was loath to admit it, a bit lost. Sure, he knew this town like he knew the sky was blue, but it was so dark, and the rain and fog made it hard to see... oh, Roxas would never let him live it down.

"Who's brilliant idea was this again?" He mumbled to himself. "Oh, yeah. Mine." He replied miserably.

"You shouldn't talk to yourself– people will think you're a suspicious character."

Sora whipped back around behind him, where the seemingly unfamiliar voice had come from. Speaking of suspicious characters...

Striking green eyes peered out of the darkness of the alley behind him, set in a long face, and framed by medium length flaming red hair that was heavy and dark with the rain. Two simple but noticeable tattoos adorned his face just below his eyes. The tall figure was covered mostly by a long black leather trench coat, and from what Sora could see of the clothes underneath, there was only more black cloth, all of it soaked through from the storm; he didn't seem to mind as he leaned casually against the wall, arms folded over his chest. All of this combined with the cocky grin on the man's face struck a cord in his mind. He seemed so familiar...

"I hadn't hoped to run into you this quickly, but I guess luck is just on my side today," The stranger said as he pushed off the wall and took a couple of steps toward Sora.

"Um... do I know you?" Sora asked carefully as he took a couple of steps back, only vaguely sure that he didn't and wanting to make sure anyway.

"Oh, I'm sure you don't. Not right now anyway."

Sora gave a confused look at the cryptic answer.

The man smirked and stepped closer, his long strides easily bringing his within arms length of the brunette. Before Sora could react, the man was directly in front of him, forcing him against the wall he hadn't even realized was behind him. He just stared up with slightly wide eyes as the man leaned in dangerously close, making his stomach flip.

For the life of him, Sora couldn't think of anything to do or say, other than to just stare up at those piercing green eyes. He couldn't help the slight flush that lifted to his cheeks at just how close the stranger was to him.

"The name's Axel– got it memorized?"

The warm breath on his ear and the firm body pressed against his own made Sora shiver, while his heart pounded heavily against his chest. It's just nerves, he told himself. Anyone would be nervous with a wack-o like this walking around...

And then Axel pulled away suddenly, leaving Sora to let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, feeling colder now that there was nothing sheltering him from the rain once again.

"Well, looks like that's my signal to go." Axel said as he looked sharply into the distance through the fog.

Sora blinked through the rain that was still falling, and looked off in the same direction. After a moment he realized what had caught Axel's attention; the almost foreign sound of police sirens wailed in the distance, only slightly stifled by the rain and wind.

"What are you, some kind of convict?" Sora asked incredulously. He turned back to look at Axel and nearly jumped when he saw that Axel was looking right back, a haughty grin plastered on his features.

His grin just widened a bit creepily as he gave a slow, deep chuckle and said, "Won't be surprised if that's what they tell you." Then he leaned forward a again, making Sora lean back (or at least attempt to– he should have known that the wall wouldn't have gone anywhere).

"I really do have to go now– but don't worry, I'll be back soon. Try not to miss me too much, Sora."

Then he pulled away and started walking swiftly down the street, leaving Sora wide eyed and thoroughly flustered. How had that guy known his name?

Before he could pull himself together enough to confront or even chase after him, Axel had already disappeared around the corner down the street, leaving behind nary a trace of his existence except a very flustered, confused, and wet brunette.

It just wasn't meant to be a good day, Sora thought as he shook his head to clear his thoughts, spattering droplets of water in the process. That was one of the more disturbing and random experiences he'd had in his entire life. And why had Axel seemed so familiar? Sora was almost positive he'd never met anyone like that before, and yet...

He took a deep breath and started walking towards home (he was pretty sure it was in the right direction anyway– the rain had lessened and he felt more confident that he knew where he was...)

Looking up, Sora realized that the rain had, indeed, lessened quite a bit. The clouds were lighter now, making the sky whitish grey rather than resembling darkened metal, and the vicious rain had diminished to a dreary sprinkle. Even the wind had died slightly, remaining only as a soft breeze.

Sora sighed as he walked. He hated how he felt right now. It was one of those times when the world around him didn't feel quite right, like he was forgetting something important but couldn't figure out what. Usually the feeling left quickly, and Sora didn't often give it a second thought.

But today... the feeling didn't go away, and meeting Axel made it worse somehow.

Huffing in frustration, Sora trudged on, finally turning the corner street that marked his house only being a block or so away. The rain was clearing, maybe he'd go home and dry off and then go visit one of his friends... yeah, that was it, he just needed some company. That was all.

Taking a deep breath and climbing the steps to his front door, Sora plastered a smile on his face and went inside, not noticing the sirens fading in the distance and a set of green eyes watched him.

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Roxas looked up as the front door opened revealing a very wet Sora, grinning goofily despite being soaked to the bone. The blonde tch-ed and fetched a towel before Sora could track water all over the house.

Roxas couldn't help but give a small smile of relief. Seeing and being around Sora always made that odd feeling of uncertainty go away. Somehow, Sora just made everything seem more real, more solid and unquestionable. If Sora was there, then it would all be okay. With this in mind, Roxas returned with a fluffy white towel and offered it to his brother.

"Thanks!" The brunette said as he stripped down to his boxers and wrapped the proffered towel around himself like a blanket. Roxas just rolled his eyes and took the heaping pile of water logged clothes and went to sling them over the shower in the bathroom to dry.

While Roxas was in the bathroom, Sora flopped happily into his twin's spot on the couch, feeling better than he had a few moments ago. The blonde always made that unsettling feeling go away. It was still there, Sora noted mentally, but at least it was wasn't as intense. Roxas just seemed so... unquestionable. How could he be forgetting something if all he needed was right there with him? Friends and family were all that mattered.

Sora was distracted from his thoughts as Roxas reentered the room, making a disgruntled noise at finding his brother in his spot. Sora merely looked up innocently in response.

After a long glare, Roxas couldn't stay mad at Sora and his lips twitched into a smile as he sat on the other side of his bother. Sora grinned and snuggled deeper into the couch in victory.

"So, how was your walk?" Roxas asked with an eyebrow raised, "You evidently didn't get blown away, and you look healthy enough. I guess I won't have to prepare a eulogy... after all..."

Roxas trailed off when Sora didn't react the way he had expected. Instead of laughing and coming back with a cheerful remark of his own, the smile had slipped of his face, leaving behind an out-of-place frown.

"Sora?" The blonde asked softly. It wasn't like Sora to be so quiet.

"Have you ever felt... felt like..." Sora made an awkward sound in his throat as seemed to fight for the right words. "Felt that things aren't quite... _right_?" Sora wouldn't meet Roxas' gaze and fidgeted slightly with the towel he was still wrapped in, looking anxious. "Like you're forgetting something important– _really_ important, but can't figure out what it is?"

Silence, and then–

"Yes."

Sora's head whipped up with surprise at the soft reply. He had expected... confusion, or impatience– he had almost _wanted_ Roxas to kick him again and tell him to stop sulking over silly things. But as their gaze met Sora knew that Roxas completely understood, and for that Sora was very grateful. He relaxed slightly, but that other thing was still on his mind.

"So what happened today, while you were out in the rain?" Roxas prompted, knowing that there was more to it than that.

Sora sighed, thinking of the encounter from earlier. "This guy showed up... he seemed familiar, but I'm positive we've never met him before. He said his name was Axel, and he was really tall and–" Here Sora looked away a bit and paused, blushing, "–creepy." Sora finished uncertainly, wondering why he was blushing but not really wanting to think about it.

One of Roxas' eye brows shot up when Sora started blushing, and filed that away for later, fully intent on torturing Sora with the knowledge. In the mean time he adorned a thoughtful look.

"Well... the name does seem familiar..." Roxas said as he wracked his memory for traces of this mysterious person.

Suddenly, a vision of flaming red hair and verdant eyes smirked back at him, the figure donning oddly zippered black robes. He said something that was hard to hear, his voice muffled and echoing strangely in the dark landscape of his mind. Roxas strained to catch the bit that he did.

"... –ames Axel–... ... ... –emorized?"

Roxas blinked and found himself staring at the couch. "Axel... I think I _do_ remember something..." He looked up at Sora, "Did this guy have spiky red hair and green eyes, with tattoos underneath them?

Sora nodded. "Yeah, exactly. He knew my name, and said that he 'hadn't expected to find me so quickly', or something like that, like he'd been looking for me or something. But I don't understand, we know everyone in this town, and we've never left, so how could–"

While Sora had been talking, more flashes of shifting memories surfaced in Roxas' mind. His head started to hurt this time as scenes of a dark city loomed before him, threatening buildings raised into a sinister night sky, neon signs competing with the light of the heart shaped moon to illuminate black hooded and robed figures through the rain. He gasped at the pain as the scene shifted, now showing him a beautiful sunset overlooking a peaceful town below him; he realized he was looking at a small blue glass sphere sparkle in the brilliant sunlight. Roxas cried out and gritted his teeth, his head throbbing as another scene unfolded of a bright beach, waves lapping up behind him as he looked at a pretty blonde girl in a white dress, her name just on the tip of his tongue–

And then it was gone, replaced with Sora's worried visage face very close to his, his voice calling his name and his hands shaking him by the shoulders.

"–oxas, Roxas! What's wrong? Are you okay? Oh, please just _say_ something!" Sora couldn't keep the fear from his voice. Roxas had been trembling, clutching his head, eyes wide but seeming unfocused like he was seeing something that wasn't there. And then he had started rocking back and forth, making pained noises, eventually screaming and grinding his teeth. Sora had never been so scared in his life.

But that wasn't right, was it? Hadn't there been something else... something even worse...

Sora's dread faded a bit when Roxas spoke.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine–" He was very far from fine, actually. He was breathing hard and his head hurt horribly, and he felt sick. What were those places? If he had known them once, how could he have forgotten?

Suddenly Roxas had a face full of brown hair, his twin's arms clinging to him tightly.

"God, don't scare me like that..." Sora said, his voice shaking and thick with relief.

"Sora." Roxas said softly, hugging him back and tucking his twin's head underneath his chin. He tried to relax; he felt stiff, like all his muscles had been tense, and his head still hurt, though not nearly as much. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to calm down so as not to worry his brother.

"What happened? Are you sure you're okay?" Sora asked pulling away just enough to look at Roxas' face. The brunette was on the verge of tears, but he held them back, telling himself he was being ridiculous– he pushed away the nauseating fear that had possessed him.

The blonde smiled meekly in reassurance. "Yeah, Sora, really, I'm alright. But... I saw things..." He lowered his gaze, looking troubled. "People and places that were like memories, but that I thought I'd never seen before. Like this dark city, with a heart-shaped moon, and a town overlooked by a never-ending sunset... and a beach..."

"We've never been anywhere like that," Sora replied, finally pulling away but then leaning his shoulder against Roxas' for comfort.

Roxas sighed and leaned back. "I know, that's what makes this so weird..."

"And why did you have that weird attack, while I didn't?" Sora wondered out loud. "And what was with that guy, Axel? Do you think he knows what's going on?"

Roxas nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure that if anybody would know, it would be him. He and these... memories, I guess we'll call them, have something in common after all."

"What's that?"

"They just popped up out of nowhere and don't make any sense!"

Sora laughed at Roxas' assessment of the whole situation, feeling a little better knowing that Roxas seemed alright– for now, anyway.

Suddenly, Sora's stomach rumbled and he flushed with embarrassment.

Roxas let himself snigger in response. He was feeling better now. The pain was gone, and being around Sora always made things better.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat and worry about this later."

Sora smiled at his brother and promptly agreed as the two headed into the kitchen, oblivious to the shadowy figures that were appearing outside of their house, just visible through the curtains of their front window.

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A/N: Reviews are _always_ appreciated, so tell me what you think!

'Til next chapter!

:Adrian Winter:


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's the next installment. I had a lot of fun writing this, although I got stuck a few times...

I started a C2 for Axel/Sora fans, so chances are if your reading this, you'll want to check that out also. You can probably find it by looking at the KH C2 list and sorting by creation date, considering how new it is. The title is 'Of Keyblades and Chakrams'.

Enjoy!

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**Invisible Chains**

CHAPTER 2

"What kind of jelly did you want?" Sora's voice floated out from behind the refrigerator door. Containers of various things rattled around as the brunette foraged and said "It looks like all we have is strawberry–" he paused to reach into the very back, "–and grape." he concluded.

He stood up, jars in hand, and bumped the door shut with his hip as he said, "Although, the grape seems a bit iffy..." He scrutinized the grape jam, noting that the dark purple color was accompanied by fuzzy white growths.

Roxas set the plates and napkins he had fetched down onto the kitchen table next to the sodas he had already gotten. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the moldy grape jelly.

"Let's just stick with the strawberry," He replied, taking the befouled jar of grape jam and throwing it in the trash. "I think we need to clean out the fridge more often."

Sora made a thoughtful sound as he set down the remaining jelly jar and said, "It didn't look _that_ bad..."

Roxas choked on the soda he had started to drink and coughed a few times before giving Sora the are-you-insane look and saying, "Sora, that jelly would've eaten_ you_. I'd say it was pretty bad."

Sora just grinned a goofy grin and got the peanut butter from the cupboard before sitting down and making himself a rather large sandwich.

They had decided Peanut Butter and Jelly was a safe bet for lunch seeing as how neither of them wanted to cook or go out in the rain for take-out. There was just enough strawberry jam left for the two of them.

They had just started in on their sandwiches, a contented silence between them, when the monotonous pounding of the rain outside was interrupted by a new sound. A skritching, scrabbling sort of noise caught their attention, coming from the living room door and window.

Sora and Roxas glanced at each other, before Sora stood up and ventured into the living room, Roxas immediately behind him. He shot a glance at the door before deciding to first look out the window; he reached forward to pull back the curtains, but then stopped, his fingers frozen inches from the fabric.

"What's wrong?" Roxas shot his twin a look. Sora had an odd look on his face, like he was scared and confused.

"I–" Sora couldn't push away the feeling of dread that had settled in his stomach. Something was out there... something he felt like he _knew_, something he had met before. It didn't make sense and he gritted his teeth at the inexplicable voice that was yelling at him to leave the window the hell alone and run upstairs and lock the bedroom door. "Nothing." He finally bit out, simultaneously shoving aside his irrational fears and the window drapes.

Immediately he leapt backward with a frightened yell, Roxas barely managing to catch him and keep the both of them from falling painfully to the floor. A look of utter horror was on Sora's face, and even though Roxas was freaked out too, he couldn't see why Sora should be so afraid of the strange creatures that were outside.

There were two different kinds, it seemed. The first of which were dark, squat little beings with sharp looking claws and glowing yellow eyes; they slunk about on all fours, their beady gazes twitching about hungrily for some unseen goal.

The second were peculiarly tall, impossibly skinny creatures made of pale white skin and lanky, graceful limbs, accompanied by disturbing zippered openings that might be misconstrued as mouths. They walked strangely, sometimes swirling about in impossible formations, slinking throughout the masses of yellow-eyed shadows around them with ease.

Suddenly, a horrible pain lanced through Roxas' head, and again he was whipped through strangely familiar scenes; He was surrounded by the shadow creatures, and he was pointing an oddly shaped weapon at a silver-haired opponent lying on the ground... the dark city from before loomed around him, and as the dark beings pressed in around him, he _knew_ what they were– Heartless.

The word echoed in his head as the scene changed. Now he was in front of an imposing iron gate that guarded an old, stately mansion. Again, he was fighting, this time against the slithering white beings– Nobodies. And it hurt to fight them, because at the time he had been angry and confused, but now he knew that if things had been just a little different, he might have been one of them– just a mindless, heartless body and soul...

Sora was completely beside himself. It was bad enough that he had a completely ridiculous, gut-wrenching feeling of dread settle in his stomach and clutch at his heart at the sight of those– those _things_, but then Roxas had to go and have another one of those attacks. This one seemed to be worse, too– the blonde's body was wracked with spasms as he screamed in pain and clutched his head, nails digging into his scalp. He had fallen to his knees, his head bowed as he rode it out, and Sora had followed him, holding him in a protective embrace and calling his name to try to snap him out of it.

I can't do this again, Sora had thought as he watched his twin writhe in agony. I can't fight them again, I can't, I won't, it's supposed to be _over_, they're supposed to be gone–

Sora had given a hysterical little laugh at the fact that he had no idea what he was thinking about; he didn't even know what those things were–

"Roxas, Roxas _please_, snap out of it–" he had cried softly, tears prickling frustratingly at the corners of his eyes, "I can't do this alone, please, _Roxas_!" He shouted, a desperate lonely plea that echoed in the suddenly hollow feeling room.

With a pained gasp, Roxas came back to the present, making a pained sound at the throbbing pressure that radiated from his head and made rational thought impossible. "S-Sora...?" He groaned.

The brunette just gave a choked, silent sob and latched onto Roxas tighter. They clung to each other, both shaking from different pains, as Roxas' heavy breathing died down and Sora's silent tears finally ran dry.

Pulling away and wiping his eyes roughly on his sleeve, Sora asked, "You okay?" His voice was thick but stable.

Roxas nodded, taking a shaky breath. "Yeah," he said breathlessly, "Yeah, I'm alright... just a little shaken up... what about you?" He had finally noticed that Sora looked overly frightened and had been crying, eyes red and puffy, and he was sniffling slightly.

"Sora? Hey, it's okay, I'm fine..."

Both their heads whipped in the direction of the window as a particularly enthusiastic creature banged against the glass, making it rattle noisily. Roxas turned back to Sora just in time to see the frantic, frightened light flash across the brunette's face at the sight of the creature. Roxas saw a shiver run down his spine as he clenched his eyes shut and turned his face away.

"Why are you so afraid of those things? I mean, they're creepy, but you were never one to scare so easily..." He asked.

Sora just shook his head, and wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Sora, look at me."

Their eyes met, one filled with worry, the other with fear.

"I..." Sora started, "I don't know, I just..." he shivered, flinching again as the glass rattled under another attack. "I just have this awful feeling... I feel like I've... _fought_ with those things before and I can't do it again, not after everything that's happened, after all of the... God, what am I even saying?" He gave another hysterical little laugh. "Why is all of this even happening...? Nothing makes sense." He finished, a crazed sort of smile on his face.

"I don't know... but we'll figure it out somehow, alright?" Roxas said, giving Sora's shoulders a quick, anchoring squeeze. Sora was scaring the crap out of him. He'd never seen his brother so shaken up over anything, ever. "It'll be fine as long as we stick together, right?" He coaxed, trying to get Sora back to some semblance of sanity.

"Yeah, right..." Sora said, nodding absently, the weird smile fading slowly; he was obviously still troubled. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep, measured breath; when he opened them, he seemed to be himself again.

"Yeah, you're right." He said levelly, sparing a small, normal smile for his brother. Then, he seemed to think of something, and continued, "Did you... see more things?"

"Yeah, I did," Roxas started,"But they don't make anymore sense than the last time." He added thoughtfully. "Those creatures from outside were there, and I think I know what they're called, but don't ask me how I know..."

Sora steeled himself and glanced cautiously at the window. "So... what are they?" He said, flinching only slightly when he saw the swarm outside.

"The dark shadowy ones are Heartless," Roxas said, gesturing to a few that were peering in at them. "And the slinky white ones are... Nobodies..."

"Heartless and Nobodies?" Sora said, testing the strange terms, not liking the way they sat in his mouth, like so many unsavory things that had been said along side them. "Well, okay... so what do we do now?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably as another creature, a nobody this time, smacked against the window glass.

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know... I guess we could just hide out and wait for them to go away..." Sora stiffened as the glass cracked under the fervent assault and the front door creaked painfully under the attack. "But I get the feeling they aren't going to leave us alone anytime soon."

"Come on..." Sora said worriedly, "Let's slip out the back and–"

Just then, the glass shattered and the door gave an almighty creak and broke, raining shards and splinters across the room. The heartless and nobodies crawled and slunk past the debris as Roxas and Sora sat shocked on the floor.

Roxas was the first to come to his senses. "Shit, Sora, come on, let's get out of here!" He said as he tugged his brother up roughly and practically dragged him from the room. Sora was frozen with fear, and only began to run himself when Roxas shook him violently and yelled, "Sora! Come _on_!"

The two of them burst out of the back door and ran down the alley behind their house, which was thankfully clear of their strange assailants, before turning down a main street and running several blocks without looking back.

After uncountable minutes of intense sprinting, the two stuttered to a halt, both of them doubled over and gasping for breath. Roxas was the first to recover, though he was still breathing heavily as he looked up and around the darkened street for their pursuers as he stood close to Sora. He glanced up at the achromatic sky, lifeless clouds lilting through it and letting only a dismal amount of light stream through. The buildings around them seemed disconcertingly silent and ominous.

Looking back down at his brother, Roxas saw that Sora had caught his breath, although he was trembling a bit from the events and his eyes darted around nervously looking for any sign of the Heartless and Nobodies.

"Relax, I think we lost them for now," Roxas said, trying to comfort Sora.

The teen just looked at him and sunk down into a sitting position, leaning against the nondescript building behind him as he let out a shaky sigh.

"What're we gonna do Roxas?" He spoke miserably. Resignation covered his features, eyes not so much scared as they were tired. "What're we supposed to do?"

Roxas just shook his head and sat down next to his twin. He couldn't think of anything to say– what was he supposed to say to that? Roxas didn't know any better than Sora did.

"I don't know." He finally said, sighing. "I just don't know, Sora."

Silence reigned between them, broken only by the timid blowing of frigid winds, and the tiny scuffle of litter being blown haphazardly down the street. They leaned together for comfort and warmth, not noticing the black clad figure that suddenly appeared in the alley beside them.

"Lost and helpless without me, eh?"

Sora and Roxas jumped at the voice, both of them springing to their feet whilst spinning around to face–

"Axel!" Sora shouted in recognition.

"Hey! The kid's got enough brain cells left to remember my name," He mock congratulated, a lazy grin on his face, "Kind of surprising after the number of times your head's been screwed with."

Roxas growled at the insult to his brother while Sora just looked at Axel perplexedly, only a little offended. "What do you mean, 'the number of times my head's been screwed with?'" He asked.

Axel just shook his head. "Well, I guess Namine hasn't lost her touch, seeing as how you're just as clueless as ever." He then turned to Roxas, who was glaring at him soundly, and looked about ready to strangle someone– well, to strangle Axel, really.

"Good to see you again, Roxas," Axel greeted as he audaciously spread his arms wide as if for a friendly hug. "How 'bout a kiss for your old _friend_?"

Roxas' face remained stony and cold. "Look, I don't know who you think you are–"

"–what, have your forgotten my name already?–"

"–but you _obviously_ know what's going on, and you're going to tell us, _now_!" Roxas finished despite the interruption; while he was talking he had been stalking forward and was now between Sora and Axel, peering up angrily into Axel's face, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Haven't changed a bit, have you, Roxy?" Axel chuckled.

Roxas' eye twitched. "_What_... did you just call me?" He said, voice dejected dangerously low.

The tense atmosphere was broken by the sound of muffled giggles from behind them. Roxas turned around to find Sora with his hands over his mouth, failing to stifle his laughter as he shook with mirth. The blonde shot him the what-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doing look which only made Sora snort, finally giving up and laughing out loud as he bent over clutching his sides.

Throwing his arms up into the air in exasperation, Roxas rounded on his brother. "Is this really the time to be laughing!" He practically yelled. "How can you be so casual and trusting around this guy? For all we know, he's the one behind the Heartless and Nobodies showing up–"

"–Yeeeaah... I'm standing _right_ here–" Axel huffed.

"–and attacking us!" his fervently gesturing arms fell tiredly to his side as he finished.

The brunette, however, didn't seem to realize he was being scolded, because he just kept on laughing. "Sorry, but you... haha... you h-have to admit," Sora managed through his slowly subsiding humor spasms, "It's a cute nickname, _Roxy!_"

Roxas glared at him, but Sora continued anyway. "Oh, come on, lighten up, Roxas," He teased, still giggling slightly. "Besides, Axel's not a bad guy! Right Axel?"

Axel smirked. "Your brother's right, you know– you're way too trusting, Sora." His face suddenly turned harsh and serious, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "And we've got to get down to business." He finished as he snapped his gloved fingers.

An army of Heartless and Nobodies appeared out of the misty air, glowing eyes and zippered mouths filling the brothers' vision. They stood in an oppressively solid circle around them, twitching and swirling, blocking any hope of escape.

"I knew it..." Roxas ground out.

"What?" Sora gasped, betrayal shining brightly in his eyes, "No, Axel, why would you–?"

"Oh, _please_, Sora, you've known me for all of, what, _half_ a _day_?" Axel scoffed. He folded his arms across his chest, leaning nonchalantly against a nearby street lamp pole. "What in this sad little world ever gave you the impression that I was a good guy? Did you really think I was all kittens and rainbows? Think again, kid." Shadows and darkness sharpened the green in his eyes as he looked down at them. "And don't think for one second that I won't let them rip you to shreds."

"What the hell do you want with us?" Roxas demanded.

"Not much." Axel shrugged. "Just for you two to wake up and face your fate. And I mean that literally– you both need to _wake up_."

"I don't understand..." Sora said as he shook his head, bewildered fear showing on his face.

"What, like this is all just a dream or something?" Roxas yelled at Axel.

"A dream, an illusion, a _de_lusion, whatever the hell you want to call it, as long as you realize none of this–" Axel swept his arms outward toward the masses of creatures, the city, the sky; their life and their home. "–means anything. It's not real." He said.

"How can you say that?" Sora exclaimed, "How can you just dismiss our entire life like it's nothing?"

Axel stepped forward, towering over them menacingly. "You're not hearing me, are you, dimwit? _This. Isn't. Real!_ None of this exists in the real world– it's all in your head!" He said loudly and slowly, like he was talking to a five-year-old. "Haven't you ever noticed how wrong it feels? How _off_ everything is? It's because you don't belong here– all of your _real_ memories have been suppressed, partitioned off to keep you stupid and happy, out of the way in this little Wonderland of yours." Axel finished coldly, all hints of comradery vanished into the mist.

Before either of them could react to that, Roxas let out a cry of pain, falling to the ground and clutching his head; immediately Sora was by his side.

"Roxas!" He yelled, as said teen lay on the ground, body contorted horribly with anguish. Concern for his twin consumed Sora as he held Roxas close to him and continued to call out his name. "Roxas, come on, please... not again..." he trailed off miserably, feeling a lump in his throat at the sight of his brother suffering.

He turned his blue eyes up to Axel, desperate and pleading. "Axel, please, help me...what's _wrong_ with him?!" He cried out hopelessly.

"It's your own fault." He said viciously. "He's forced to listen to everything your heart is trying to tell you because you're too much of a coward to listen."

"What do I have to do!?" Sora cried out, "Just tell me, I'll do anything!"

"You have to _remember_!" Axel snarled. "You have to remember everything! Everything that you ever fought for, all of your friends and the people you would have given your life to protect. You have to remember what's keeping you from them, so you can fight it and get on with your life!"

Sora shook his head, face distorted with tears and hopelessness. "I c-can't," He cried, "I'm sorry... I just... " His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest, filling his head with the steady rhythm. It was screaming at him, the answer was so obvious, it said, just remember one thing, anything, a name, a face, a battle, a place, and you'll see the light; but suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of tiredness. Don't remember just yet, it whispered to him. Come back to the darkness, it said, it's safe here– you won't have to fight any more...

"I-I..." Sora stuttered as two nonexistent voices battled in his heart, one light, one dark, neither being completely heard.

"I... don't want to wake up..." Sora breathed, not even realizing he had spoken. Roxas twitched a couple more times before falling still in his arms.

Sora looked down, finding his brother's breathing shallow but his eyes alive and full of so many things they nearly glowed.

"Fine." Axel said quietly, ignoring the fact that Roxas was awake. He lifted his hand slightly; the creatures behind him stirred restlessly.

"Sora," Roxas smiled, speaking at barely a whisper, "We have to wake up... everyone is waiting for us. They need us."

"But... I'm so... _tired_, Roxas... I don't want to fight anymore..." Sora pleaded, his head bowed and his face showing all the exhaustion he felt in his body and heart.

"I know. But we've slept enough for now." Roxas continued, and now Sora could see he was actually glowing a bit, pale skin warmly luminescent against the cold, dreary concrete around them.

Axel had turned away from both of them, arm still raised as he faced the crowd of malignant shadows and dusks. Neither noticed the pained expression on his face as he quickly snapped his fingers before disappearing.

As the Heartless and Nobodies closed in on them, Roxas whispered one last thing to Sora, still smiling and glow growing ever brighter, even as the darkness closed in around them.

"Don't be afraid... within every darkness... there is light."

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A/N: One thing I feel like I had trouble with in this chapter is how ADD Sora is with his emotions... I kinda felt like he was all over the place; happy, angst-y, happy, angst-y, and meanwhile I'm thinking to myself, holy granola, make up your mind!

So... anyway.

Reviews are _always_ appreciated, so tell me what you think!

'Til next chapter!

:Adrian Winter:


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Yes, the next chapter is here! I'm going to apologize in advance– Axel doesn't get a lot of screen time in this chapter. But he will soon, so no worries.

There's a lot of dialogue in this chapter that I'm really happy with. And I like giving Sora a temper– it just seems like he'd be scariest angry because he's naturally such a good-natured person. Plus, you generally wouldn't want to get a Keyblade wielder angry anyway...

Ah, but I digress.

Enjoy!

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**Invisible Chains**

CHAPTER 3

Darkness. That's all there was, for as far as he could see; it blinded him, choked him, consumed him, froze him, icy, inky pitch roiling around him and through him. The stench of oil invaded his nostrils and mouth, and he gagged against the texture, slimy and hollow as it filled his lungs and body. Hungry claws reached for him through the nightmare, indistinguishable from his surroundings as they struck at his body, drawing agony and blood.

His brown hair and blue eyes were unrecognizable among the shadows.

I don't understand, He thought desperately, What is this place?

Crying out in pain and disgust, he tried to pull away, but it was everywhere; there was no escaping the darkness. It was even in his mind, keeping everything but itself from him. He tried to remember who he was, what he was doing, anything at all, but all he found was an infinite horror of black nothingness.

Stop it! Leave me alone, let me go!

He felt rather than heard himself scream, ears and mouth cottoned with the darkness as he thrashed against the cold, faceless evil around him. He struck out, muscles clenched, body tense and aching as the toxic pressure increased, panicked sobs and painful gasps wrenching themselves from him. Dreaming, drowning, dying, he sunk deeper into the depths.

It's over, he thought. I don't... even know who I am and I... I'm going to die in this awful place...

Giving one last pained shudder, he felt consciousness leave him as shadowy tears slide down his face and mingled with the frigid slime that consumed him. His breathing became more shallow, and his heart slowed, thudding, agonizingly lethargic and heavy; a few more hitched breaths; a clawed, inky hand stabbing itself into his chest and grasping at his heart, tugging, laughing, pulling and–

"_Don't be afraid... within every darkness... there is light."_

His eyes flew open and he gave a violent gasp, real, clear air filling his lungs and warmth flowing through his body once again as the darkness retreated. The claw screeched and tore it's limb away, out of his chest and empty handed, recoiling from the vibrant light that had encompassed him.

He continued to take deep breaths, relishing in the comforting light that now protected him, and smiling at the light, steady rhythm of his heart.

Sora. He smiled. Yes, Sora– That was his name.

His life flew painlessly back at him, memories finally allowed back into their rightful places in his heart and mind. He took his time browsing them, ignoring the shrieking of the yellow eyed Shadows around them. He wasn't afraid of the Heartless. His island home flashed by along with his best friends, Kairi and Riku, and all the new friends he had made as he had sealed the keyholes; Donald, Goofy, the worlds, the End of the World, defeating Ansem– who he now knew was really just Xehenhort's Heartless—

And then, even events from Castle Oblivion, Organization XIII, Namine, and he wondered, how was it possible to have retained those memories, when they had been made from the broken chains of his original ones? He did not linger on that thought for too long as he moved on, the rest of his encounters with the Organization and Heartless as he looked for Riku, traveling the worlds once more. And, finally, The Place That Never Was, and... Roxas...

Sora frowned as he thought of Roxas. He knew now that Roxas wasn't his twin brother– wasn't even technically a real person, just a part of Sora. Roxas was his Nobody; he had been created when Sora had unlocked his own heart in order to return Kairi's to her. His heart and body had been separted, the darkness of his heart becoming a heartless and the leftover body becoming Roxas. By rights, Roxas wasn't even supposed to exist any more– Kairi had led Sora back from the darkness, and in the end, Roxas had returned to Sora's heart once more.

But then, the last thing Sora remembered before being here was holding Roxas in his arms as the Heartless leapt at them, the darkness ready to consume them both. So where was Roxas now?

Sora sighed. Though the memories might have been fake, the time he had spent with Roxas and the emotions they had felt together had been real. And now, Sora really did feel like he had a brother.

But would he ever see him again?

He reluctantly let his memories catch his attention once more. Sora watched as he and Riku defeated Xemnas, then lingered on that strange, dark beach under the moonlight, before finally finding their way back home. Grinning, Sora wrapped himself in the happiness that he had felt finally being home with Kairi, Riku, Goofy, Donald, and even King Mickey. And knowing that Roxas and Namine were happy too...

He frowned. But then after that... nothing. He still didn't know why he was here, or even where _here_ was.

Sora looked around idly, his light still keeping the raging darkness at bay. What about Riku and Kairi? Where they still safe at home, on Destiny Islands, or had something happened to them too?

He glanced at his most recent memories of his time with Roxas in their strange, fake world. Really, though, those wouldn't tell him anything...

He started, suddenly remembering something Axel had said...

"_Well, I guess Namine hasn't lost her touch, seeing as how you're just as clueless as ever."_

Sora shook his head. Why would Namine do something like this? He wondered worriedly. Unless she was being forced to... He gasped. If Namine was separate from Kairi, then did that mean Kairi had lost her heart again?

And Axel! How was he even still _alive_? Sora remembered watching the Nobody disappear, fading away and into the darkness of the in-between. Sora turned away from that memory quickly, not liking how hopeless and sad it made him feel.

Sora huffed impatiently. He wasn't going to figure anything out stuck in the darkness like he was now. He folded his arms and leisurely stared into the empty yellow eyes of a hungry Shadow Heartless. It squirmed and wriggled along with it's brethren, pushing up against the barrier of light before shrinking away again, antennas ever twitching and hungry eyes never leaving Sora's. Occasionally, the pale, slinking shape of a Nobody would pass through his peripheral vision.

Sora suddenly laughed out loud. Of course! He thought, how could he forget?

He stretched out his hand and closed his eyes, focusing his strength and courage, and all the light and warmth he felt when summoning the Keyblade. His hand tingled before Oathkeeper burst into his grasp, causing a ripple of panic to sweep through the masses around him. Oddly, though, his other hand tingled as well, and as he held it out and focused on it, Oblivion joined Oathkeeper in front of him. Sora grinned, despite being puzzled over why he could wield two Keyblades at once.

Keyblades raised, his light burned blindingly, resonating loudly as it burst forth and pierced the darkness.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Steel colored clouds continued to billow over head as a mass of darkness writhed in the middle of the decrepit street, the mindless Heartless forming a mound of oily deception. A ring of slinking white Nobodies surrounded this, pushing their way against the edges, some sneaking their way through into the mob.

Suddenly, the already quiet atmosphere fell deathly silent, before a rushing sound followed immediately by the humming cacophony of power being released; warm light, bright as the sun shone from the collective of Heartless and Nobodies in sharp, penetrating beams. The horrid creatures shrieked, helpless as the light grew and spread, illuminating the cold street and eradicating them within moments.

The light then slowly withdrew, pulling back and dimming to a dull glow, Sora standing within it; Roxas lay unmoving at his feet.

Lowering his arms, Sora let out a deep sigh of relief and looked around, noting that the dreary street with its derelict lamps and buildings was now completely empty and silent. He finally saw Roxas on the ground; He let the Keyblades disappear once more in a small flurry of warm sparkles as he crouched down next to his Nobody.

"Roxas!" He said, worried but hopeful. "Come on, wake up!"

The blonde's eyes fluttered and he made a disgruntled sound at being disturbed. Sora just grinned and shook him lightly by the shoulders.

"Lazy bum, get up already." He joked, relieved just to see Roxas there and alright. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad if he had Roxas with him...

Roxas finally opened his eyes, blinking them blearily as he sat up, and scratching his head confusedly.

"Sora?" He asked as he looked around.

"Yep! I'm right here." The brunette responded cheerfully.

"Why _are_ you still here?" Roxas asked, sounding vaguely depressed.

Sora tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Um... the same reason you are?" He shrugged, though he was still smiling. "I know now that this place isn't real, but that doesn't mean I know how to get out of here. Oh! And what about you, are you feeling okay?" Sora was _still_ smiling but the anxiousness came through in his voice as he put a hand on Roxas shoulder.

Roxas made a disgusted noise as he shrugged Sora's hand off before standing up. "Like you really care." He said harshly.

Completely shocked, Sora just looked up at Roxas for several moments.

Finally he stood up, an almost painfully sincere expression on his face as he exclaimed, "Of course I care! Why would you say that!"

"Shut up, Sora," Roxas scoffed. "Don't bullshit me. If you know this isn't real, then you know we're not brothers– I'm just your Nobody. You don't know me, but I know you, probably better than you know yourself. I'm just a figment of who you are– a shadow within you that will fade away, because I was never meant to be. I am your darkness. So why would you care about me?" He finished bitterly, his arms crossed and a vague scowl on his face as he turned away from Sora.

"Now hurry up and get out of here so you can go rescue your friends– again." Roxas said over his shoulder as he began to walk away.

Fists clenched, Sora stalked forward and caught up to Roxas. He grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and spun him around, shoving him hard against the nearest brick wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Sora fumed, "If you really knew me so damn well, then you would know that I _do_ care! So what if we aren't really brothers? The memories may have been fake, but the time we spent together was real! The things we felt were real!" He took a deep breath to steady himself. Roxas just stared at him, a vague sense of surprise covering his features.

"If you weren't meant to be, then you _would_n't be standing right here. And as for you being my darkness?" Sora's eyes darkened slightly as he remembered the brief periods of time being in his anti-form, struggling through the shadows and violence that clouded his mind.

"You're dead wrong. I know my darkness," He continued softly, "And it's not you."

Roxas looked at him blankly, finding the pure honesty that was so typical of Sora reflected in those blue eyes that were so much like his own. Then he nodded sharply and averted his eyes; he was still surprised but also a bit ashamed.

Just as Sora had his memories back, Roxas had his. He knew a Nobody's role in life was to just disappear, whether into the darkness or back into their Other; they didn't have hearts, and they weren't supposed to exist. He also knew that he and Sora had only met once, and that was in battle. Roxas never thought for a second that Sora would still care about him once he remembered his other friends– surely they were more important than him? But then, Roxas realized Sora was right. He really didn't know his Other as well as he thought he did. Because if he had, Roxas would have known that Sora cared about his friends more than anything. Roxas just hadn't realized he was one of them now.

"Now... stop being stupid and help me figure a way out of here." Sora's business like voice snapped Roxas out of his thoughts, and he watched as Sora pulled away and began walking aimlessly down the imaginary street.

"Okay, so, we don't know how long we've been here, or who put us here, or really even where _here_ is other than in my head," Sora babbled as Roxas tagged along after him. Suddenly he turned around so that he was facing Roxas. He continued to walk backward as he said, "Well, you're the smart one here, got any ideas?"

Roxas just gave him the oh-ha-ha-very-funny look. "How the heck am I supposed to know? I've been in here with you the whole time, remember?" He replied.

Sora just smiled and shrugged, before suddenly stopping.

"Hey!" He said, and Roxas could almost see the lightbulb over his head, "What if there's, like, a keyhole around here that we have to unlock to get out!"

"What, here in your head?" Roxas sniggered a bit. "I've heard of a unlocking someone's heart, but never their brain– not that you have much of one to begin with."

Sora grinned despite the insult, glad to see Roxas back to his old self again.

Roxas crossed his arms and seemed a bit more thoughtful, though he still had a small smile on his face as he said, "Really, though, you had to find so many of the damn things I'm not surprised it's the first thing you thought of. Although somehow I don't think–"

"Roxas?" Sora prompted when the blonde suddenly stopped mid thought, an entirely flabbergasted look on his face.

Sora turned around to see two majestic, glowing keyholes floating invitingly before him. The brunet grinned broadly as he turned back to Roxas and said, "Well, that worked out well."

Roxas just laughed and stepped up beside Sora, so that they each had a keyhole of their own. Sora summoned Oathkeeper, and looked to Roxas expectantly, waiting for the blonde to summon his own Keyblade. Roxas obligingly held out his hand, and then–

Nothing.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Sora prompted.

"I- I can't..." Roxas said, shocked, as he stared at the empty place where the Keyblade should have been. He concentrated, looking deep within himself for the familiar, comforting power, only to find that it was not there.

He lowered his arm and looked resignedly at Sora. "That power isn't mine anymore... not that it ever really was to begin with. I don't think I'm meant to leave."

"What! But how–" And then Sora remembered when his light had finally returned to him, and in that pile of shadows he could wield two...

He summoned Oblivion into his other hand and stared at it as Roxas continued to speak.

"When you finally got your memories back, and your light, you took it _all_ back. Between the two of us, you are now truly the only Keyblade wielder." He spoke calmly, but wouldn't meet Sora's eyes.

Sora seemed to think it over for only moment before he spoke. "Well, then... here, take one! I'll just give it back!" He said cheerfully as he held up Oblivion for Roxas to take.

Roxas shook his head. "You don't know what you offering. It's more than that."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Give me _some_ credit, Roxas. I know that. I just..." He seemed to think over his words, choosing them carefully. "I don't want to wake up alone... and I don't want you to be alone in here for the rest of our lives. I want us to wake up together. And if that means sharing a heart and wielding only one keyblade, so be it. It's a small price to pay." He finished.

"Sora..." Roxas closed his eyes. Sora said he understood, but did he really? Did he really know what it would mean to give up half of his heart, of his existence, to a Nobody like him?

Suddenly, Sora spoke, his uncharacteristically quiet voice catching Roxas' attention. "You know," He started, seeming almost sad, "I always felt guilty... that I'd caused you to come to be and never even knew about you... and what hurt the most, was that I knew I'd do it again because I'd never be able to let Kairi die." He paused, and when he spoke again his voice was strong and determined. "But now I have a chance to make things right again."

Roxas shook his head again, a vaguely disbelieving look in his eyes. "Sora, stop it..." Didn't he understand that Roxas didn't deserve this?

"No, Roxas!" Sora said, forceful and earnest, "You deserve to have a heart just as much as I do. I'm offering you half of mine– so just... just take it!" The last part was said almost pleadingly as Sora stepped closer to Roxas, looking straight into his eyes, still holding the proffered Keyblade in front of him.

Roxas hesitated. Slowly he reached out his hand grasped Oblivion, feeling a shock go through him at the feeling of being a Keyblade master once more. A small light passed from Sora's hand into Roxas', and the blonde suddenly felt the warmth of having a heart and being alive wash through him as well, and almost chocked on the feeling that he'd been missing through everything.

"T-thank you..." Roxas said tremulously as he stared at Oblivion, but not just at the Keyblade itself, but what it now represented. He couldn't help but feel incredibly happy, and he laughed as he lifted his gaze to Sora's. "Thank you!"

Sora grinned back at him. "You're welcome, Roxas." He said warmly and brightly. He then raised his Keyblade once more and added, "You ready to get out of here?"

"Definitely."

Together, side by side, they unleashed the power of their Keyblades . With a resounding click, their bleak prison disappeared in a flash of light, and the sound of chain links breaking and clattering to the ground resonated through the solace of their freedom.

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A/N: Crap, if I'm not careful this is going to turn into Sora/Roxas... nooo! Must stay focused! Axel/Sora! It'll probably have some Roxas/Riku later, just because I wouldn't be able to bear leaving poor Roxas all alone...

Um, sorry if it's short, I just really wanted to post and this seemed like the best place to stop! Ah, but it's not the end, I promise!

Ah, well, anyway. Reviews are always appreciated. Till next chapter!

:Adrian Winter:


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